Ricki Sparrow
by marauderette-47
Summary: Jack and Angelica had a daughter once upon a time: a daughter they called Ricki. This is the story of how she found her parents again after nearly twelve years apart. Together, they will set off on the journey of a lifetime to discover the Fountain of Youth. Set during OST. Story brought back to life and improved.
1. The Before

**Ricki Sparrow**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Carribean**

**Author's Note: Wow. Hi guys. If this story seems familiar, it probably is. You may recognize that it was on this sight a while ago under my old penname, 'Peachykeen13'. I have decided to bring it back to life, and improve it - BIG TIME. As I read it over again, I realized just how badly it needed edited. Grammar, characterization, facts, and more needed to be changed, so I'm changing them. If you're an old fan coming back, then welcome. Expect _much _to change from what you once read - I allowed the story to go far off track because of suggestions, and while I greatly appriciated them, I ended up confusing MYSELF on the plot, lol. There were curses here, and missing characters there, and I don't even know what I was doing (not to mention the fact that I allowed Ricki to say 'totally'. I don't think they said that back then so...yeah...) So I think I know what I'm planning on doing here, so bear with me and enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to review - the old version was completed with a grand total of 385 reviews. Can we beat it with the improved copy? Up to you! Thanks everybody :)**

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The Before

The waves crashed onto the dock with fierce snarls, lashing onto the old wood like whips and then restraining themselves. The ocean looked black underneath the night sky, with not even a moon to shine any light. The ships that were docked rocked with the sea, looming over everyone in Port Royale. It was only a few hours before sunrise, and then three of the ships that were existant in the harbor would be gone. A merchant would take one of them, bound for trade in Tortuga. A Captain would take the largest one on a mission to deliever a new governer to the Spanish port of Santo Domingo. And the smallest, rattiest looking ship would be stolen by a little girl with a big dream.

Or, perhaps the girl wasn't so little and her dreams weren't so unreachable. She had finally reached the age of adulthood, and was allowed to leave her family to embark on what would come to be the greatest adventure of her life. Her parents - while saddened by her choice - understood why she had to do what she was doing, and supported her in every way that they could. They tailored clothes that were both sensible for the open sea and flattering for her body type. They spent all that they earned on rations for her to take with her, and even found her a new map that was the most updated and precise copy available at the time. The only thing that they could not help their daughter with was a ship to take her to Santiago, but the girl - Ricki, was her name - knew that she could get the ship on her own.

She hadn't told her parents that she was planning on _stealing _the ship, because stealing the ship would be the first act of piracy she ever committed, and she didn't want them to have knowledge of it. She feared that the authorities would find out, and her parents - Maurice and Isabella - didn't deserve to die for raising a pirate.

Maurice and Isabella were not Ricki's true parents - if they had been, Ricki would have been attending a dinner or a ball in a tight fitting corset at the very moment she was untying her ship (if it could even be called that - honestly, it was so incredibly small and old that it was nearly worthless). No, piracy was in Ricki's blood - her parents had been infamous villains, according to society, though Ricki's mother hadn't been heard from in quite some time. Ricki kept up with what her father was doing, though - anytime she heard the name 'Jack Sparrow', she listened intently to whomever was speaking of him, and released an unintentional breath every time it was confirmed that he was still alive. Ricki feared for her father often - piracy was a dangerous profession.

Ricki often found her thoughts trailing over the entire world to her parents. With the passing of years her memories of them had begun to fade, but she held close the feelings of love they had given her as a child. She had grown up at sea, on a ship known as _The Black Pearl_. The entire crew had lended a hand in her upbringing, and she was the ideal pirate before she could even form full sentences. She was the gleam in the eyes of both of her parents, and was kept a secret from the real world for a very long time. She hadn't even been branded. But when she was six years old, everything changed. _The_ _Black Pearl _was attacked by a ship from the British armada, and most of the crew had jumped overboard. The only three who had stayed were Ricki's parents and their dear friend, whose name Ricki could not even remember. The officers who had been sailing the enemy ship took everything that they could get their hands on - including Ricki. It wasn't until later that her parents would discover her absense, and by that time, Ricki would already be being adopted.

Pushing a strand of light brown hair behind her ear, Ricki placed her new hat on her head and prepared her ship to set sail. Ricki knew that it would be hard to navigate, steer, and keep lookout on her own, but she was prepared to do whatever it took to see her father and mother once again. Taking one last look at the city she had resided in for nearly twelve years, Ricki turned her face away and set off for the horizon.


	2. Chapter 1

**Ricki Sparrow**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Carribean**

**Author's Note: ...oh my gosh! You guys still like it! :D I hope ya'll enjoy Chapter 1 - can you believe how long it is compared to the old chapters? I used to only make my chapters 1,000 words, and now look! I know that it's still somewhat short, but I'm hoping that this is just a filler chapter. Hopefully the next few chapters will be longer! Anyway, I am so excited to get this story rolling - keep the reviews coming, and I hope you enjoy the _new _Ricki Sparrow! **

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Chapter One

The sun began to rise on Ricki's third morning on her own. It had been smooth sailing for her so far, but she had yet to find a place where she could recruit willing pirates to join her crew. She wasn't certain how she would be able to convince them to join her anyway - she was a woman, and frankly, it would be easier to employ people if she was a man. She would not be taken seriously because of her gender, her age, and her lack of experience, but that wouldn't stop her from trying. She had a certain air of authority about her, and she would use that authority to her advantage.

Pulling her small golden telescope from her coat pocket, Ricki walked with purpose across the deck and looked out to the horizon. Nothing but the waves of the sea stared back at her, and she sighed. Putting her telescope away and retrieving her map and compass, Ricki tried to determine how far she was from Santiago, which was the port where her father had been most recently spotted, but it was hopeless - Ricki just wasn't the most skilled navigator, and she needed a _crew_.

Days turned into weeks, and Ricki knew that she would not be able to continue on her own much longer - it was a miracle that she hadn't been attacked already. She was running out of food and supplies, and had barely slept a wink since boarding her vessel. Try as she might, she was still having a hard time reading her maps, and she wasn't sure if she was headed in the right direction at all. In the end, she decided to just go where the wind blew her, and hope that fate was - for once - on her side.

Ricki wasn't sure if the sun was rising or setting when the port came into view, but at that point she couldn't have cared less. Adrenaline pumped through her veins at the sight of the lit taverns and docks, and a huge grin spread across her face. With renewed energy, Ricki sailed to the island in hopes of finding - at the very least - her next meal. She had no problem securing her ship next to the others that had sailed into port, and she stepped on dry land for the first time in weeks. She was unsteady at first, and had to regain her balance by gripping tightly onto the wall of the first building she could find. She didn't get as many looks for her odd behavior as she had assumed she would - the citizens probably just thought she was drunk. Sighing, Ricki adjusted her eyes to the lighting (it had been sun_set_, she realized, as the moon came into view) and began to make her way along the street.

The loud laughter of men and the smell of rum told Ricki where she should go if she was looking for a crew. She poked her head through the open doorway of the pub, blinking rapidly as the candlelight hit her eyes. She saw waitresses handing dirty glass bottles to unclean and unshaven scallywags, and she saw men shouting and laughing and threatning one another. Trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, Ricki inched her way through the building along the back wall until she found a place that was barely occupied. Five chairs sat around a table that looked as though it was about to fall apart, and only two of those chairs were taken. The takers of the chairs were quiet, both of them with their heads down. They sat as far apart from each other as possible, and Ricki assumed that either they were in an argument and not speaking, or they didn't know each other. As quietly as she could, Ricki took the nearest seat available and sat down, trying to think of courses of action she could take in an attempt to employ a crew.

She hadn't been sitting down long when one of the others seated near her finally showed signs of movement. He stood in an awkward manner, as though he had been injured, and shuffled away towards the door without even so much as a glance to the other man he had been sitting with. Ricki's eyes followed the man all the way across the room until he was gone, and then they flickered to the man who was left behind. And Ricki paused mid-breath.

She didn't have to look past his hat to know it was her father. But she did - she stared at the man before her as though he would disappear with her next heartbeat. She studied how much he had changed over the years, but she also studied how he was the same. His mannerisms, his tattoos, his _hair_...and all thoughts of finding a crew vanished from Ricki's mind. For now she had her father, possibly the greatest pirate alive, and he would take her aboard _his _ship and then all would be well.

Ricki's father was called Jack Sparrow - and he had yet to look at her.

Ricki stifled the urge to groan - she'd been next to him for nearly three-fourths of an hour and her father hadn't recognized her. Hoping to draw his attention, Ricki coughed lightly, and waited eagerly for the brown eyes that would look up to meet hers. But he didn't make any move that he'd even noticed that she was sitting there.

Ricki sighed loudly and dramatically, and cleared her throat once. "Excuse me?" she asked as politely as she could. Years of living nearly as well as the governer in Port Royale had taught Ricki Sparrow many things, and how to speak to people of importance was one of them. Well, there was no one more important to Ricki than her father, so she might as well have put those lessons to good use. "Are you Jack Sparrow?"

Jack _did _look up then, and he met Ricki's eyes. No flicker of recognition appeared in his brown orbs as Ricki had hoped would, but she didn't let that spoil her hopes for a reunion with her father. It had been many years - it was highly unlikely that her father would be able to recognize her, especially if - perhaps - he had given up hope of ever seeing her again. Jack replied, "Aye." That was all - one simple word. But hearing her father's voice flooded Ricki's mind with memories, and she felt the unfamiliar sting in her eyes that meant tears would come. But she forced them away - she would not cry. She would not show weakness. She was with her father now - everything would be alright. Everything _had _to be alright.

"Do you...know who I am, Captain Sparrow?" asked Ricki gently, being sure to refer to her father as 'Captain' so as to earn his respect. She sounded as kind and well-mannered as any Duchess or Princess, and she hoped that her father could see how hard she was trying for him.

"Can't say that I do, lass." said Jack, chuckling a bit to himself. "But please, enlighten me if we've encountered before."

"We have," affirmed Ricki, an unstoppable smile spreading across her pale face. "It's been many years, though. I feel I should admit that I had rather expected you to remember me."

"Many years?" questioned Jack, unable to stop himself from raising an eyebrow. "Little thing like you can't be more than eighteen at most."

"Eighteen _exactly_," said Ricki happily, unable to stop the feelings of love and happiness inside her. "It's been twelve years since I last saw you, and it wasn't until this moment that I realized how very much I _missed _you. I-"

Jack's eyes widened, but instead of looking joyful, he looked frightened. "My dear, I'm afraid that you must have me mistaken with another 'Jack Sparrow'. I'm sure there are many of us, you see, and as I said before, we have never met. So if you'll excuse me-" Jack began standing up, as though he was about to leave. Ricki refused to let that happen, so - instead of easing her father into the situation gently - Ricki was forced to take extreme measures.

"Ricki," she murmured quickly, just loudly enough for her father to hear. The word had him frozen in an instant, and he slowly sat back down, staring at Ricki with new eyes.

"W-What?" Jack stammered. No - it wasn't possible. There was no way that -

"That's my name," Ricki clarified, holding her father's strong and unyielding gaze with her own. "Ricki - or Richelle, rather, though I never held much patience with that name."

"Ricki?" Jack gaped, his heart nearly stopping with shock. He had lost his only child so many years before...the idea that she could be back in his life was overwhelming, and Jack felt an unfamiliar sting prick his eyes. But he would not cry - he would not show weakness.

"Yes, father." smiled Ricki, wiping the single tear that had dared to escape. "It's me."

Before he accepted it - before he ran to her with open arms and held her close for the rest of his life, Jack had one question that needed answered. It's the question that Ricki had spent the last month preparing herself to answer. "How is it possible? After...all this time..."

"After they took me away," Ricki began, speaking with her hands and gazing at her father, "It was decided that it was not too late for me to be raised the..._proper_ way. I was not branded a pirate, and for all the proof they had, you and mother had kidnapped me.

"I was sent to live in Port Royale with a wealthy family, the cousins to the governer, no less. The man and woman with whom I lived were elderly, and unable to have children of their own. They loved me dearly, and I was always taken care of. When I told them the truth - that I still remembered my parents and wanted to find them - they were so supportive. They gave me all that they could, and I set off. If I hadn't found you today, I probably would have died quite soon."

Ricki didn't tell her father the rest - how much she would miss Port Royale. How much she would miss Maurice and Isabella. How much she would miss her neighbors and her dear friend, Annabelle. She had dropped everything on the very day she turned 18. She had told no one (besides Maurice and Isabella) that she was planning on leaving. No one would have known where she'd gone to when they had woken up the morning after she'd left. She'd run from everything she'd known for most of her life just for the opportunity to see her father and mother again - and her father was still frozen to the spot, eyes trained on her, making no move whatsoever.

"Well?" Ricki asked a moment later, pleading her father to say something with her eyes. She had never known Jack to be the type able to be rendered speechless, but that seemed to be exactly the case at the present time.

Finally - after what seemed an eternity to Ricki and a moment to her father - Jack pushed his way from his chair, and gathered his small daughter in his arms. As she had been speaking with him, Jack had noticed her. He had recognized many of her once-familiar traits, such as talking with her hands and always brushing that irritating strand of hair behind her left ear. Her lovely brown eyes matched his own, and she looked every bit as beautiful as her mother ever had. There were many things in this world that Jack Sparrow could have cared less about, but his daughter was not one of them. To him she was perfect, and for a rare moment, Jack was just a vulnerable father who loved his daughter with his entire heart.

Ricki clung to her father as he embraced her - she felt small again, just a child with no idea what horrors the world held. Her father was her king, and his ship was her castle. She felt an overwhelming sense of de-ja-vu as she breathed in the scent of the sea that always seemed to be on Jack, and she felt that all those weeks of hard work on the open ocean were worth it.

"Have you seen mother?" asked Ricki excitedly, batting her long lashes at her father. She knew that it was very unlikely that her parents were still together (as a child, she always feared that one would push the other overboard due to their excessive arguing) but she had always hoped that after she was gone they would have at least had each other to hold onto.

"No," said Jack simply, shaking his head in denial. "It's been a decade, at least, since I've seen her."

"I wish to find her as well," said Ricki firmly, refusing to be argued with. It was the same tone her father often used, and he recognized it all too well. Choosing to ignore it and instead bask in the presence of his pride, Jack held Ricki more tightly, and allowed everything else in the world to slip away. For in that moment it was just Jack and his daughter, and it was a moment that he had wished for for almost twelve years to the day.


	3. Chapter 2

**Ricki Sparrow**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Carribean**

**Author's Note: I am so terribly sorry for the long wait. I've been on several unplanned trips, and (unfortunately) there is absolutely NO service or internet connection where I went. This is the first time in quite some time that I've had any sort of time or computer to write for this story. I went back and re-read the first two entries of this fic, and it inspired me to begin Chapter 2. Thank you all so much for the patience and reviews! Is this story better than the original so far?(; I hope so! Like always, reviews are appriciated & encouraged! Thanks guys, and enjoy!**

**SOMETHING YOU NEED TO READ: Okay, so in the movie, we first see Angelica London. But Jack's life changed when Ricki entered it, so obviously, things would not go the same way as in the film. In the film, Gibbs ends up on a ship with Barbossa & destroys the maps, and Jack ends up with Angelica, on the Queen Anne's Revenge, alone. In this story, Gibbs and Jack and Ricki end up seeing Angelica before she goes to London (and before she begins impersonating Jack), so Gibbs does not go with Barbossa, the maps are still intact, and a few other things change. Okay?(: Thank you!**

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Chapter Two

Life on her father's 'borrowed' ship, _The Lady_, was far different than the life of solitude that Ricki had grown accustomed to on her own ship. There weren't many crew members, and the only familiar face was that of her father's old friend, Gibbs. Ricki had once had the older man wrapped around her little finger, and that relationship was once again established now that they were both a part of her father's life.

"Tis good to see yah again," Gibbs had grumbled awkwardly, placing one arm around Ricki when he saw her again for the first time in years. "None of us thought that...well, we're jus' glad you're back."

Ricki had flashed Gibbs her trademark smirk, placing a confident hand on the man's shoulder. "I'll admit, I'm sorry that you had so little faith in me, Gibbs. _You _were always the one calling me my father's daughter, and did he not return from impossible circumstances as well?"

For that, Gibbs had had no answer, and from that moment on, Ricki considered him a friend and ally once more. It wasn't long before Jack had pulled them both into his private quarters, explaining to them his plan of action.

"The Fountain of Youth, m'dears." he'd said, giving them a toothy grin.

"Jack, we've been over this," Gibbs had immediately, his body visibly loosening as though he had already given up. "We searched for that damn Fountain _everywhere_, and we've yet to find a single drop of its water. As I've been tellin' yah for the last several months, we should make our way somewhere else - I've been hearin' rumours about the treasure of Kidd -"

"No." Jack had said immediately. "I will find that Fountain or die trying."

"Dad," Ricki had responded, internally cursing herself for trying to act as a voice of reason. Truth be told, in the weeks that had passed, Jack had made Ricki want to find the Fountain almost as badly as he did. "Gibbs is right. We've been trying to find the Fountain, and we have nothing to go on but your maps, which aren't even working. What if we went after Kidd's treasure, and then went back to searching for the Fountain? Perhaps all we need is a...break."

After much persuasion on Ricki's part, Jack had been coaxed into focusing the attention of the crew on trying to find the treasure of the infamous Captain Kidd. While he had led the search himself, Ricki had often found Jack looking to his compass, and she couldn't help but wonder if her father's heart was truly with them, or with the Fountain of Youth. For nearly a month, the captain and crew of _The Lady _worked hard to reach many islands and, unfortunately, many dead ends. Piracy seemed to be much more complex than Ricki had remembered it, and it wasn't until _The Lady _had reached the island of Santiago that Ricki was able to feel herself relax at all. In a cove, on the south side of the island, a haven for pirates existed. There was a port for ships, and an old tavern which Ricki swore she could both hear _and _smell from a mile away.

"Come on, love." Jack said, pulling his daughter by the arm towards the tavern. "The crew's nearly mutinous. We need some new strapping young men." Jack glanced at his daughter to see if she was at all intrigued by the idea of younger men aboard the ship, but her face remained blank. He sighed.

"I wasn't going to argue with you," Ricki stated simply, pulling her arm free of her father's grasp. "But I don't have to like being stared at by a bunch of drunken -"

"There now, lass." Gibbs said, placing a calloused hand on Ricki's shoulder. "Settle down now, yah hear?"

"I'm not a child," complained Ricki sourly, speeding up so that she was several paces in front of her father and his first mate. "Don't coddle me."

The tavern was everything Ricki had dreaded - loud and obnoxious and crowded. She couldn't believe that only two short months previously she had been desperate enough to enter one on purpose. Granted, that decision had led her to her father, but still. If it could be helped, Ricki preferred to stay on the ship whenever they made port. This time, however, her father had insisted that she come with them. "It will be good for you, love." he had told her. "Besides, I'm not going to get anything accomplished in Santiago if I have to spend the whole time worrying about you." Ricki had argued, but in the end, she had submitted under her father and agreed to accompony him and Gibbs to the very tavern they were now entering.

While Jack and Gibbs began to make their way through the tavern searching for willing workers, Ricki took to searching the place for an empty seat at a semi-quiet table. While piracy and the life that went with it was what she had chosen, part of her would always belong to the proper upbringing she had been given, and she continued to have at least _some _class, even while her once beautiful accent became rough and her clothes became torn and worn.

No place in the tavern was actually empty, so Ricki settled for the quietest place, which happened to be a table in the corner that seated only one other occupant. Ricki didn't bother to ask if the woman sitting there minded company - she took a seat and sat there, staring forward. It was nearly a quarter of an hour later before the woman spoke to Ricki at all.

"Looking for work?" she questioned in a thick Spanish accent. Ricki turned her head slowly.

"I'm not interested," she said quietly, pulling her hat down so that it covered her face with shadows.

"Pay is good," the woman bargained, running a dirty hand through her long hair. Ricki wondered what on earth she was thinking - no one would take her seriously if she was offering them work. Women were thought to be bad luck aboard ships (Ricki should know...half of the men her father offered work refused simply because she existed) and anyone would be wary of this dainty creature actually _captaining _anything.

"I'm not interested," Ricki repeated. "And a word of advice - put your hair in a cap or something. No one is going to take you seriously, being a woman and all. We're thought to bring bad luck when aboard vessels."

The woman laughed bitterly. "You think I don't know that? I've been around much longer than you have, my dear, and I know far more than you do."

"Then you would think that you would have enough sense in that pretty head of yours to know how to successfully employ a crew." Ricki quipped, turning her head from the woman once again in favor of staring at the wall.

"You think you could do better?" the woman asked sarcastically, reminding Ricki a bit of the way her father spoke of those he deemed below him in the hierarchy that was the world. Ricki chuckled slightly to herself, turning to once again face the woman.

"I know I could." she said confidently. "I've learned enough from me dad - I could have enough men to crew an entire ship by sunset if I 'ad a ship worth gettin' a crew for."

"I have a ship," the woman said eagerly, jumping at the opportunity Ricki had unknowingly presented her with. "So again I will tell you to join - the pay is good, and what we are after is worth more than gold."

"Been there," Ricki snorted. "Let me guess - the Fountain of Youth?"

"Yes," said the woman with an edge of suspicion. "You have been to the Fountain of Youth?"

"Have a map to it," said Ricki simply. "My father has proven that he cannot read a map or compass to save his life, however, because we have yet to actually reach it."

"Is your father here?" the woman asked Ricki, having enough sense not to ask her to once again join her crew. "Does he have those maps with him?"

"Yes," said Ricki hesitantly. "Good luck gettin' them, though. They don't leave his side."

"Bring me to him." the woman commanded, and - after a moment - Ricki obliged.

_It's your funeral_, she thought. She navigated her way through the throngs of people, checking behind her only once to be sure that the woman was following her. It took longer than Ricki had planned on, but she was finally able to locate her father after nearly ten minutes of searching. He and Gibbs were speaking alone, with roughly fifteen lads standing in a row about a meter away from them.

"I see _you're _having luck," said Ricki loudly, successfully capturing her father's attention. She rolled her eyes.

"It's seventeen more than we had this morning, love." said Jack, nodding his head in the direction of the lads.

"There's a woman," began Ricki, gesturing behind her. "She wants to see your maps."

The woman stepped forward, but froze the moment she saw Jack. Ricki noticed her father tense up as well, and Gibbs was staring anxiously between them. She wondered if perhaps this woman was one of the many her father encountered who wanted to give him a good slap across the face. But when two, and then three minutes passed without an angry outburst, Ricki assumed that that was probably not the case.

"Sorry, am I missing something?" Ricki asked, re-adjusting her hat again. "'ow do you two know each other?"

Jack was the first to regain his composure. He slid a sly smile on his face, and approached the woman next to Ricki without further hesitation. "Well, well, well...never thought I would see you again."

"Likewise." the woman said in a cold, clipped tone. Ricki decided that it sounded familiar, and watched her father and the woman with interest.

"And what is a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this, love?" asked Jack, making Ricki chuckle. The woman scowled.

"If you'll recall, Jack, I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I have been for a long time."

"And you seem to be doing so well on your own." laughed Jack, taking in her tattered clothes and dirty face.

"Oh? And after twelve years what do _you _have to show for yourself? I didn't even see the _Pearl _out there. Lost it, did you?" the woman shot back immediately. The way she was standing, the look in her eyes, Ricki recognized them. And it was in that moment, that single moment, that Ricki knew the woman in front of her.

"Mum?" she whispered, nearly inaudibly. Her mother - Angelica - turned slowly to face Ricki. Ricki took her hat off, and smoothed her hair. Her father had told her several times within the past two months that she looked much like her mother, and she wanted to prove to Angelica that she was who she said she was.

"Excuse me?" Angelica breathed, scrutinizing Ricki with her gaze. "I am mother to no one."

"And lying can be added to your list of crimes then, Angelica." Jack smirked. He walked towards Ricki, stood beside her, and casually put his arm around her. He continued to face Angelica. "Didn't she turn out beautifully?"

It was just one moment more that Angelica held the hardness of her gaze. Ricki could see the moment that her mother truly _knew _her, because her beautiful green eyes welled with tears, and - after only slight hesitation - she rushed forward to embrace her daughter.

"It's not possible," she murmured, stepping back to survey her daughter. It was true, the two looked very similar - the same long, brown locks, the same nose, the same hands...

"It's very possible," Ricki corrected, finally allowing herself to smile at her mother. "I...never thought I would see you again, mum."

"How?" Angelica asked thickly, turning to look towards Jack. "How did you find her?"

"Alas," Jack said dramatically, smiling easily and standing in between Ricki and Angelica. "_I _didn't have to do a thing, love. It was _she _who found _me_."

Angelica turned to her daughter, who sighed and explained her story to her mother. Angelica listened intently the whole time, pausing to gasp and interject at the appropriate points in the story.

"You sailed alone?" Angelica gasped. Ricki nodded.

"But I found Dad," Ricki smiled, turning to her father and beaming. "It was worth it in the end.

"Come with us," Ricki continued, taking her mother's hand in her own. "Come with us, and don't worry about finding a crew - join ours."

"Er," Jack began, but it was easy to see that he wasn't about to be listened to. Ricki and Angelica were in a world of their own.

"Oh, Ricki..." Angelica sighed, cupping her daughter's cheek with her hand. "So beautiful."

Ricki chuckled lightly, reaching to her face to wipe the one tear that had dared to fall from her beautiful doe eyes. Only seeing her family once again was strong enough to invoke such a reaction from her. "I'll take that as a yes, then?"

Thinking of nothing but her little girl, Angelica nodded, and Jack led her outside to discuss some 'things' that Ricki was apparently not allowed to hear. Gibbs went with them, leaving Ricki alone with the seventeen boys that were to be joining her as part of the crew of _The Lady_.

One of the young men approached her from behind, and asked, "So...Captain Sparrow's your father?"

Ricki turned on the boy, narrowing her eyes slightly but without being outright mean. "Yes." she said defensively. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing," the boy said coolly, not seeming at all offended. "Sheer curiosity is all."

Ricki loosened up a little bit, and offered the boy a small smile. "Ricki." she said, introducing herself.

"Michael."

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**That's it for today! A huge thank you to VivaLaPinkAndBrina for all of her help, thoughts, and suggestions on this story! She's been with me since the first one, and I thank her for her continued support. I hope everyone enjoyed the story! I just couldn't wait to get Angelica in there :) The adventures and action begin in Chapter 3! Review!**

**~marauderette-47**


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